The scene at the media scrum following AEW All Out is now the stuff of legend, with CM Punk launching into a verbal tirade as Tony Khan sat next to him. As Punk hurled insults at his former friend Colt Cabana, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and the AEW EVP’s, Khan remained mostly quiet, making no attempt to quiet Punk or end the scrum early.
The effects of the media scrum spiraled as the incensed AEW EVP’s confronted CM Punk over his comments, leading to a brawl that saw punches thrown. Punk’s trainer and friend Ace Steel threw a chair at Nick Jackson as well as bite Kenny Omega, and all parties involved were suspended. Ace Steel has since been released from the company.
Eric Bischoff Thinks Tony Khan Should Have Taken Action And Shut Down The Media Scrum After AEW All Out
During an interview with Steve Fall for Ten Count, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, who hasn’t been shy about criticizing the AEW President in the past, addressed the post-AEW All Out media scrum and took Tony Khan to task for his lack of action during Punk’s expletive-filled rant. First, he made it clear that he doesn’t believe physicality would have solved the issue.
“Look, Tony’s not a physical guy. Tony Khan is, you know, whatever. And I’m not suggesting that physicality on anybody’s part would have been the solution at that point, but in terms of taking control of the situation, if… I’m not going to say what Tony should have done; I’ll say what I would have done, what I think I would have done. You never really know until you’re in that spot.”
Continuing, the former WCW President explained what course of action could have been taken to avoid the situation escalating the way it did.
“Tony had a mic, he had his own mic. He could have grabbed that mic, stood up, and said, ‘This conference is over, thank you all very much, shut down the audio.’ Boom. It’s over. And then sorted it out. But to sit there and be thrashed and flayed like a fish by a guy that you’re writing a check to for more money… five times more money than he’s really worth is mind-boggling to me.”
Criticism between the two men goes both ways, and back in October, Tony Khan called Bischoff “incendiary, contradictory, and hypocritical.”
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit Ten Count and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.